Zika threat leads CDC to advise pregnant women against travel to Rio Olympics

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday advised pregnant women to not travel to the Aug. 5-21 Olympics summer games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, citing the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

Zika virus may be linked to babies with microcephaly

Rio de Janeiro's cleaning workers carry a flag with that reads 'Out Zika' in Portuguese during the second night of the carnival parade at the Sambadrome on Feb. 9. (YasuYoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty)

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday advised pregnant women not to travel to the Aug. 5-21 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, citing the mosquito-borne Zika virus.

The health agency said these recommendations also hold for the Paralympic Games, scheduled for Sept. 7-18.

CDC said women who are pregnant may be at risk for sexual transmission of Zika and should use condoms the right way, every time, or not have sex during pregnancy.

A growing number of international athletes in recent weeks have said they are concerned about Zika, a virus that has been linked in Brazil to more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly, a rare condition that causes abnormally small heads in infants and can lead to developmental problems.